Almost everybody always has a ton of elastic rubber bands stocked in a closet somewhere, and while they’re pretty good at keeping things together, there actually are a lot more handy uses for this humble item.

In fact, the chances are that you’ll always want to have a couple of rubber bands nearby when you take a look at these smart, but unexpected ways to use them.

Who knew that a simple and extremely cheap household item would have so many uses and save you a lot of frustration and time? Let’s take a look at the best examples and jump right in.

1) Keep sliced apples fresh

A fresh piece of fruit with every meal is never a bad idea! However, if you’re a fan of sliced apples, you probably know the frustration when those sliced pieces go brown in just a couple of hours. That’s where a rubber band comes in: simply try to rebuild the apple and hold it together with a band. No more brown spots!

2) Limit the portions on soap dispensers

Some soap or shower gel dispensers can go absolutely crazy in terms of the amount being pushed out, but there’s a quick method to save some soap (and money). Tightly wrap a band right underneath the dispenser opening, making it harder to fully press it down. In other words, less soap or gel will be dispensed.

3) Stretch your jeans a little bit further

A pair of jeans that is slightly too tight is definitely a frustrating situation, but a simple elastic band might be able to help out. You can make your jeans fit a little bit better by using a rubber band as a loop between the button and the button opening. Handy!

4) As a DIY smartphone tripod

Taking that perfect shot with your smartphone can be a little difficult, especially because you can’t really use a regular camera tripod to take still photos or videos. The solution? Grab a rubber band or two to create a makeshift tripod and increase stability. It may not look ideal, but at least you won’t have to worry about blurry shots.

5) Seal hoze leaks

If you’ve got a garden hoze laying around and there’s a small hole in it, don’t throw it away and give up hope just yet. While elastic bands do a great job at keeping stuff together, they’re also pretty good at keeping things in, such as water. Grab a rubber band and wrap it around the leak to tighten it.

6) Build your own phone holder for the car

Don’t have a phone holder for your car? There’s no need to purchase one of those fancy (and mostly expensive) things, because a rubber band will do the trick just fine for most of us. All you need is two minutes to setup the rubber band and some room in your air vents.

7) Keep books safe on the go

If you like having a book on you at all times, this small yet nifty trick will definitely come in handy. It’s important to keep your books closed when you’re on the go, or you might have to deal with some damage to the pages. Always have a rubber band nearby to keep your book closed.

8) Build your own simple toothbrush holder

The most genius ideas usually don’t look all that fancy, but practicality is definitely more important than fanciness in this case. Create your own elastic band grid around a tall glass or cup to build a DIY toothbrush holder. Organizing toothbrusher just got a lot cleaner!

9) Add some color to drinks

Well, not really, but you can use small and colored rubber bands to identify drinks. Whenever you’re together with some friends or family, chances are multiple people will want to have the same drink and somehow, those beverages will definitely get mixed up. Grab a small and colored rubber band and thread it though the tab. A quick and handy fix!

10) Unscrew a broken screw

Broken or rusted screws are the absolute worst. When the grooves of a screw have absolutely broken down, it doesn’t matter what kind of screwdriver you have, getting it out will always be a major pain. However, adding a little bit of grip in the form of a rubber band might just end up being a lifesaver in cases like these.

11) Save some space in travelcases

When you’re preparing to go on a trip, packing the clothes beforehand can definitely be a bit of a tricky situation, especially if you want to bring a a lot of outfits. Don’t worry about your suitcases not fitting anymore, but simply wrap rubber bands around sweaters and pants to keep them tight and save some precious space.

12) Always keep doors (slightly) open

If you’d like to keep the doors in your house open at all times, or don’t want to make a lot of noise by accidentally slamming the door open for everyone to hear, this truck will come in handy. Simply grab an elastic band and loop it around both doorknobs in an X-shape. This quick trick will keep the door slightly open.

13) Get creative with paint

If you’re a creative person, you’ll just love the versatility that a couple of rubber bands can offer. For example, did you know you can use them to make some sweet outdoor striped laterns? Simply wrap them around a jar and paint directly over them – it’ll create a professional-looking effect that will definitely satisfy your inner artist.

14) Create better hangers

H

angers are really essential in a closet, but they can be a bit of pain because some clothes will definitely have to urge to slide right off. However, there’s no need to buy those expensive anti-slip hangers, because a simple rubber band is an excellent DIY ‘upgrade’ that will keep your clothes from sliding off.

15) Build your own GPS mount

Aside from building your own smartphone mount in the air vents, you can also just apply a couple of rubber bands to your rear-view mirror and create your own makeshift GPS or smartphone mount. It doesn’t get any easier than this!

16) Securing tea bags

If you’re a teadrinker, you probably get frustrated every single time the tea bag dunks right into your cup. With a rubber band in hand, there’s no need to worry anymore. Simply secure the tea bag around the cup, and you’re golden.

17) Keep your power adapter in place

The portability of laptops is great, but it’s best to always keep your power adapter nearby, just in case the battery dies. One of the annoying things, however, is that these adapters or power cords tend to slip. With a couple of rubber bands to increase its grip to the surface, that’s a problem you’ll never have to deal with anymore.

18) Create a makeshift superslim wallet

Wallets tend to be extremely bulky nowadays, while we only really need to pack a few essential cards and a bit of cash. Wrap your most-used cards and some bills together in some rubber bands for times you don’t want to use your bulky wallet.

19) Flip pages

This one may sound a little bit weird, but the idea is so simple it’s acutally genious. There’s no need to flip pages of a book by wetting your fingers anymore, because a rubber band around your finger (or two fingers) will provide you with just enough friction to do the exact same thing without leaving spots and stains on the paper.

20) Keep pot lids closed

We’ve all experienced it in the kitchen: there’s something inside of your cooker that’s boiling faster than you expected and the whole thing starts to overcook. The next time you need to keep the lid down, just secure the whole thing by using a pair of elastic bands. It also works wonders if you want to transport the pots when there’s still food inside.

21) Keep spoons from sliding

Speaking of the kitchen and cooking pots, keep another rubber band nearby to apply to your spoons and wooden ladles. Thanks to the extra grip they provide, the spoons won’t slide down and you’ll always have them right where you need them.

22) Build your own bouncy ball

Everybody knows that one of the most fun things to do with plenty of rubber bands is to build your own bouncy ball, but did you also know that it’s fairly easy to make one? All you need to do is squeeze around ten rubber bands together, and start wrapping around them with other bands. You’ll start to see your bouncy rubber band ball grow in no time. Plus, the ball doubles as an eraser!

23) Open stuck jars

When you’re dealing with a stuck jar, it seems like you need to have some kind of divine power to get them open because you can’t quite get a grip on the lid. However, you definitely will by wrapping a rubber band around the lid. In fact, you’ll have those stubborn jars open in one-two-three.

24) Use it as a painting lifesaver

Painting usually ends up turning into quite the mess, but a rubber band is truly essential when you’re trying to provide something with a nice new color. Grab yourself a large elastic band and wrap it around the open can of paint. Wipe paint from your brush on the rubber band before you start painting to prevent it from dripping.

25) Keep ribbons in place

Spools of loose ribbons usually aren’t great when you’re trying to organize things, because you know that those ribbons will end up getting out of the spool eventually. If you’re tired of dealing with these tangled ribbons, use a rubber band to keep them spooled until you want to use them again.

26) Make cutting boards more stable

Some cutting boards might end up being more trouble than they’re worth, and they might even be the cause of a cutting accident. If you’re having difficulties with cutting boards that slide around everywhere, stabilize them with a pair of long rubber bands.

27) Open nail polish bottles

Nail polish bottles are probably among the most stubborn things to get open, but some elastic bands are a true lifesaver. Wrap it around the handle a couple of times for some additional grip and you’ll never have to deal with these pesky bottles again.

28) Create fun easter eggs

We can use the same trick on the outdoor laterns on easter eggs. There’s no better way to prepare for the festive easter season than by creating some fun easter eggs. Wrap some rubber bands around them before applying dye and they’ll look much more joyful. Be careful not to crack them, though!

29) Use them as drink decorations

This idea is so simple, you may wonder why you’ve never thought of something similar yourself. Give your drink glasses a nice and sparkly extra touch by adding a flower, for example. Of course, it’s best to use colored rubber bands for that extra nice aesthetic look. Great for weddings and events!

30) Use a band as a makeshift seam guide

Sewing machines really require a good seam guide, and it turns out that a rubber band is just one of the many sewing lifehacks you can use. So the next time you’re looking for a seam guide, just opt for a simple, but preferably thick rubber band instead. You’ll never notice the difference.

31) Build your own memo board

Let the creative beast inside yourself go by building your own fancy memo board. Grab some colored elastic bands, a wooden frame and you’ve got yourself a quick, easy and pretty memo board in just minutes. Sticky notes, receipts, papers – they can all rest underneath an elastic band now.

32) Create some unique jewelry

Admittedly, you will need a bit of skill and probably a whole lot of patience to create something like the necklace or bracelet shown in the image below, but the result is definitely impressive. This technique was inspired by the loom hype that was really popular a few years ago, and you can find a full tutorial over here.

33) Prevent shower caddy woes

It’s practically a certainty that shower caddies can get extremely wobbly, which then ends up with dropped shampoo and conditioner bottles. Attach a rubber band around your shower head nozzle, and position the shower caddy directly behind it. The band will keep the shower caddy in place for you!

34) Easy chopsticks

Chopsticks are one of those things that you either love or hate, but this rubber band trick may help you out if you’re in the last category. Wrap it around two sticks with a piece of paper in between, and you’ve got yourself a much easier method to use chopsticks. Thank us later!

35) Make glasses more slip-proof for kids

This tick will definitely come in handy if you’ve got younger children. As you probably already know, a glass is easily broken in little hands, but adding a couple of rubber bands will definitely increase the grip and prevent accidents.

36) Get an easy French manicure

A French manicure – where only the tip of your nails gets some nail polish – can be quite tricky to do by yourself, but not if you’ve got a rubber band lying around. It’s a supersimple, quick and cheap nail hack for the perfect French manicure.

37) Keep your glasses from slipping

Having trouble with your glasses falling off every time you look down? Do you feel that they’re just not sturdy enough? Grab some bands and wrap them around the frame and this makeshift grip will make sure that the glasses will always be tucked away behind your ears.

38) Color-code your chargers

All or electronical devices usually need to have their own charger, but it can be hard to identify them – especially if you have roommates, friends or family members with the same power adapters. Color-coding things is always a good idea to keep your life organized, and all you need is some colored rubber bands.

39) Create a wrist strap for appliances

You’ll find room for a wrist strap on plenty of appliances: game consoles, cameras, and even some smartphone cases. A wrist strap is always handy for some extra feeling of safety, especially when you let the children use it. A simple, but a sturdy rubber band in a loop will do the trick just fine.

40) Re-use your old broom

If you’ve got an old broom laying around, don’t get rid of it just yet. Instead, grab yourself a long rubber band and keep all of the broom hairs together. It’s a super quick and easy fix to re-use your old broom without comprises or trouble.